


Staring

by LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)



Category: It Lives in the Woods (Visual Novel)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, High School, Romance, Stomach Ache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley
Summary: Lucas is staring longingly at Diana. Worry not, Lily is on the case.
Relationships: Lucas Thomas/Main Character (It Lives In The Woods)
Kudos: 1





	Staring

Diana Gray was packing up her books for her next class after the bell had already rung. She liked taking her sweet time doing things, as she would often find herself lost in thought.

Fortunately, this morning in particular, while she was taking inventory of her stuff, she noticed an unfamiliar title amongst her textbooks. A heavily-noted, worn-down copy of Steady-State Economics, by Herman Daly, and several loose papers shoved into its pages.

 _Someone was into ecology and sustainability._ She thought, smiling softly when she realized to whom it belonged to. In sights to return it, she rushed to the hallway.

“Hey, Lucas!” She calls after her colleague. “Wait up!”

“Diana.” He greets in a flighty fashion, turning back towards the classroom. “I’m sorry, I’m in a rush. If it’s about the project, it’ll have to wait.”

“Lucas, that’s not for another month. It certainly can wait.” She, then, waves the abandoned book at him. “Forgetting something?”

His cheeks grow warm in embarrassment.

“Thanks, Diana, and I’m sorry for dismissing you.” Lucas says, dashing back to retrieve it. “I was distracted. Time always seems to get away from me.”

“Nothing new under the sun, as I hear it.” She snickers at his anxious expression.

“The Devil finds work for idle hands, I suppose.” He responds, still avoiding eye contact.

The girl chuckles. “I’m sure.”

“Thanks again for your assistance. I’ll call you when I’m off so we can work on the presentation.” The class president nods, tucking the book beneath his arm and shuffling past her.

“I was only kidding.” She rushes her pace, trailing after him and pulling her bag, which was hanging over her right shoulder. “Well, mostly.”

“It’s okay. See you around.” He replies, dismissively, continuing power-walking down the long corridor and disappearing into the sea of students.

It has been a long time ever since Lucas and Diana stopped being friends, or even acquaintances that talked on occasion. In elementary school, they were part of a big and close-knit group. They would spend all day playing on the edge of the forest that permeated their houses.

In time, though, each one of them took their own path in life and grew apart by teenage social divides that did not make much sense. While Diana minded her own business, Lucas suddenly became tall, handsome and eloquent, gaining popularity and getting involved in student government. Alas, popular kids did not mix with the riff-raff in Westchester, and so their paths only crossed on the few Advanced Placement classes they happened to share.

Diana shrugs the encounter away and makes her way towards her next class the way she prefers, lost in her own thoughts.

* * *

After the close encounter she had with Lucas, the remainder of her day carries on normal enough. By lunch hour, she joins her friends at the aptly-named loser table.

Lily Ortiz, Ava Cunningham and Noah Marshall graced her with their presence that afternoon.

She has hardly got two bites in before the loner boy groans loudly and complains, “He’s staring again. Doesn’t he have anything better to do other than be a creep?!”

“Like you don’t watch them when you think they’re not looking.” Ava accuses, completely uninterested on the subject matter, poking her cafeteria food, unengaging.

“I’m just looking out for my sister. He has no reason to stare at us.” The boy defended.

Jane, Noah’s twin sister, was a cheerleader, and so belonged to the upper echelon of their social totem pole. Like everybody else, she tended to ignore and look down on her brother, and that hurts him more than he cares to admit.

“What? Who?” Diana asks, confusedly, swiping her napkin over her lips.

“Thomas, of course.” He grunted into his meal. “Every day is the same. I’m starting to get sick of it.”

Diana snorted dismissively. “Lucas? Why would Lucas stare at us, Noah?”

“He could like someone who sits here often.” Lily chimed in.

Noah snorts derisively. “Who? Little Miss Sunshine over here? I don’t think she’s his type.”

Ava hissed.

“I was thinking more like our dear friend over here.” Lily pointed at the black-haired girl airily, on a teasing note.

“He certainly does not. Quit being ridiculous.” Diana brushes off the accusation.

The girl on the green dress hums in consideration. “Well, he looks an awful lot here, and there must be a reason. If not you, who?”

“You.” Diana accused back.

The software engineer turned red as a tomato. “O-Of course not… Be-Besides, he’s not my type.”

“We can always put our considerations to test.” Ava suggested, a wicked smirk on her face. “You have your back to him, Diana. Why don’t you turn around and catch him on the act?”

The girl sighed. “Fine.”

She sneaks a glance in Lucas’ direction. He is, in fact, staring, but he could not hold eye contact when she turned around. His carboniferous eyes darted away as soon as they met with her own.

Lily giggles at the exchange. “Told you.”

“Creep.” Noah mumbled.

* * *

When, later that night, Diana found herself meeting her lunch again, her mother began watching her like a hawk, pumping every medicine she could get her hands on into her body. When dinner also decided to make a late appearance, it had been decided that she would not be attending classes that morning. Apparently, she is in for a long and miserable day in bed.

Now, she was crouching on the toilet, letting go of the light lunch she had that afternoon. As she raises to her feet, she curses the damn stomach bug she contracted God knows where and brushes her teeth calmly, and also putting her hair up on a neat tie, so her neck remains exposed.

Upon returning to her room, she realizes she is not alone.

“Lucas?” She squints at him, feet planted in the centre of her room.

“Diana, hi.” He replies, toying with the hem of his cardigan.

“How did you come in?” The girl cocks an eyebrow.

“Your mother ushered me in, told me to go upstairs. I knocked, but you did not answer, so I entered to see if you were awake.” Lucas tells her, his black eyes flickering from her face to her sleeping clothes. “Lily told me you were sick.”

 _Of course, Lily did._ She rolls her eyes internally. That girl was dedicated to matchmake her with Lucas of all people. Honestly, marrying her off to an armadillo would be easier.

“I was at the bathroom, you see.” Diana points to the doorway she was standing on, and then crosses the room to sit at the foot of her bed. “What brings you here?”

“I came to bring you your homework. Lily and Ava picked up from the classes we don’t share, and…” Lucas stutters and takes a step closer. “I came to see if you were alright, you hardly miss classes.”

“Well, if you must know, I’ve been throwing up a lot today.” Diana grumbles, tossing her weight back against the pillows.

He scratches at the back of his neck, nervously. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Come here.” She pats the mattress beside her.

Lucas hesitates, for only a second, before toeing off his shoes and climbing in.

Diana rolls over to the opposite side of her double bed, next to the wall, allowing him to curl around her back; tossing one arm over her waist. “Thank you, I’ve been having a fever. Bodily heat helps.”

“Y-Yeah, no problem.” He stammers. His fingers skimming beneath the hem of her shirt. To rest his open palm against her lower belly. “How’s that?”

“Better.” She sighs, relaxing into his touch. “Do you want to tell me why you’re really here?”

“Well, I…” Lucas swallows hard. “It’s not that I lied, I really have your homework, but I asked Lily if I could bring it to you. I was thinking that we could talk.”

Diana chuckles, weakly. “I’m not on top of my conversation skills, but fire away.”

“The thing is…” He takes a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you that I like you.”

“If you mean like as in _like_ , then I like you, too.” She confesses using the inflexion on the word ‘like’, while toying with his fingers.

The boy beams at her, his glasses fogging and wobbling on his face. She thought it was cute.

“I’m glad. I’m really happy. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me, I won’t tell a soul.” Lucas whispers, nuzzling her neck.

Diana laughs. “It’s not exactly a secret, why do you think Lily went after you? And, besides, I’m not ashamed. If anything, you should be the one concerned.”

“She knows you fancy me?” Lucas stammers, still reeling with the knowledge that she is interested.

“Everyone knows. Even Noah, I’d guess, though he doesn’t like it very much.” She shrugs. “I just don’t understand one thing, why are you so surprised?”

“I don’t know. You’re so authentic, I guess, and I’m just a nerd with a dangerous obsession with hair gel. I’m always distracted when you sit next to me, and I feel nervous when I have to talk to you. I even forgot my favourite book on my desk, because I was too busy making heart eyes at you!” Lucas is silent for a beat, before laying a single kiss at the corner of her mouth. “I just didn’t think you’d be interested. It seemed so far-fetched! Even Stacy, Dan and Jane, who know too, think I don’t have a shot with you.”

“And look at you, shooting your shot anyway.” Diana smirks, turning her head to see his face. So close to hers, eyes swimming with emotion. “Kiss me for real this time, will you?”

“Gladly,” He breathes, catching her lips in a slow, passionate, kiss that leaves she breathless.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” She asks, as she break apart.

“Just now.” Lucas grins from ear to ear.

“That’s not fair!” Diana huffs. “No one’s that good a kisser their first go!”

“I’m up for a bit of practice.” He murmurs.

She nods, rolling to face him. “Alright, you’re the boss.”

After a round of a heated making-out session, she peacefully settles against his chest. Drifting off to the steady rise and fall of his breathing; and waking to the soft flicker of the overhead light from her mother, laughingly inviting her new boyfriend to dinner.

* * *

The next day, Diana arrives at school feeling completely refreshed. With a skip on her step, she stopped by Lily’s locker so they could walk to their next class together.

Halfway there, they cross paths with Lucas and Principal Flores, and the boy beams at their sight.

“I told you.” The other girl chuckles softly, smiling victoriously. “I told you he liked you.”


End file.
